When you meet Mia Guerrero, the first thing you notice is just how tall she is. Statuesque and striking, she stands around six feet tall. It is not a stretch to imagine that she is an athlete. Seeing her run a basketball court, shooting over people and grabbing rebounds is what you might expect; watching her hurl discus feels like something the Greeks intended when they invented the sport for the first Olympics in 708 B.C.
However, for the introverted, academically focused sophomore, sports are a fairly new discovery.
This year, Guerrero has had successful seasons with both the girls varsity basketball team, for whom she is the starting center, and the track and field team, where she has emerged as one of the team’s best throwers in the discus and shotput.
Guerrero’s emergence as one of CHS’s most promising athletes began with a setback. As a freshman, she had her heart set on making the volleyball team.
“I didn’t make the team,” she said.
But minor setbacks are really opportunities in disguise, so Guerrero decided to get out of her comfort zone and take a chance with a sport she knew very little about: basketball. “When I first started going to basketball, I was really anxious. Like I thought I wasn’t gonna make the team, but my coach kind of told everyone, like, everybody makes the team, just try it.”
As promised, Mia made the team, but didn’t know how to play the game. “I had zero clue,” she said. However the anxiety and struggle of joining the team came with some reassurance. The team’s culture made her feel welcome and able to learn.
“It was difficult, but I just really liked it. I felt really accepted there.”
For varsity head coach Keisha Young, Mia’s decision to pivot to basketball was met with tons of excitement. “It’s been a pleasure watching Mia develop into the player she is now,” said varsity head coach Keisha Young. “I remember being secretly happy when she didn’t make the volleyball team because I knew we needed all the time in the world to get her ready for basketball.”
After a year of competing and practicing with JV, Guerrero earned a spot on the varsity team, “Going just from JV to varsity within a year, especially not even knowing how to do it … it was really crazy,” she said.
With basketball season coming to a close, though, Guerrero wanted to stay involved with athletics and needed to find another way to keep in shape and sharp for next year. She decided on track and field. “It’s just something to do so I’m not super lazy during off-season for basketball,” she said. “And my friend who told me to do basketball also suggested I do track.”
What began as a way to keep busy soon became more exciting and engaging than she originally anticipated. “I want to pursue throwing in college,” she said. “I’m not too sure about basketball.”
In her first season with the team, Guerrero advanced to league finals, placing among the top nine in discus. This year, she placed second in both discus and shotput, achieving her goal of qualifying for CIF. At CIF, Guerrero threw discus for 88 feet, 10 inches amongst division three competition.
“She’s a naturally gifted athlete,” said Mateo Cisneros, head coach of both boys and girls track and field teams. “She’s also very strong both physically and mentally, and is always listening and asking [assistant coach Brice] Randolph on how to improve.”
As this season ends, junior year awaits for Guerrero. She will be playing for a new head coach in basketball, but will pick up where she left off as a front court force ready to dominate the paint. And she will look to continue her success in discus and shotput as she strives to be tops in league and beyond.
From not making a team to competing at the varsity level in two sports, Guerrero continues to build confidence with every season, showing that there’s always something to gain by trying something new.
